The National Safety Council reported over 38,000 traffic deaths overall in 2019. With hundreds of thousands of vehicles on the road, the odds of getting into a collision or accident in your lifetime are frighteningly high. Whether you’re taking an Uber to visit friends, riding the bus to work, biking a trail or walking to a friend’s house, anything can happen.
Catastrophic traffic accidents can be complicated, with more than one party at fault. Some cases may span multiple liabilities, while the severity of other cases is increased by faulty product design. While those injured in such accidents focus on recovery, it pays to have someone on your side who can help navigate their complex practicalities.
McEldrew Young Purtell has experience in a wide range of transportation accident cases, having helped guide thousands of injury victims through their ordeals to some form of justice. If you or a loved one are injured in a vehicle or transportation accident, please reach out to us today and let us fight for you.
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The Cases We Handle
Our vehicle and transportation accident lawyers have experience handling cases that deal with the following:
- Automated vehicle (self-driving car): When people are exposed to unproven technologies, the unexpected often happens.
- Bicycle: Larger vehicles have a responsibility to respect the bicycles that share the road with them — when they don’t, tragedy often occurs.
- Bus and large passenger van: Drivers of buses and other vehicles that carry passengers have a responsibility for safe driving both to other vehicles and to their passengers.
- Car: Car accidents are by far the biggest category of transportation accidents — amounting to 6 million per year!
- Drunk driving: Drunk driving claims more than 10,000 lives per year.
- Motorcycle: Motorcycles are another vulnerable form of transport, with 80 percent of crashes resulting in death or injury.
- Pedestrian: The most vulnerable users of roadways are increasingly at risk according to the NHTSA — from 2007–2016, pedestrian fatalities increased 27 percent while all other traffic deaths decreased 14 percent.
- Ridesharing (Uber, Lyft): Ridesharing complicates liability, which a good lawyer can help to unwind.
- Truck: Truck-involved deaths make up a disproportionate percentage of vehicle deaths each year, with many owing to driver negligence.
- Train/mass transit: Such accidents, while rare, can be catastrophic. McEldrew Young Purtell has taken a leading role in cases concerning Amtrak and SEPTA accidents in the past.
A Proven Track Record
McEldrew Young Purtell has an incomparable record of successful verdicts in vehicle and transportation accident cases. The awards we’ve won for our clients include:
- $6 million settlement under multiple legal theories on behalf of a driver who suffered a below-the-knee amputation when he was hit by an uninsured motorist.
- $4.5 million settlement when a truck driver, for a company not in compliance with safety regulations governing hours of service for drivers, ran a stop sign and killed the mother of a 5-year-old child.
- $3.6 million settlement for a New Jersey truck accident victim.
- $2.9 million settlement for the survivors of a woman killed by a truck wheel that struck her vehicle, after the truck driver had failed to properly perform a pre-trip certification and inspection.
- $1.8 million settlement on behalf of a 43-year-old woman that suffered traumatic injury and disability when her vehicle was struck by a tractor-trailer that crossed the road’s center line.
Jim McEldrew discussing Amtrak derailment on Fox News
When to Consult with an Experienced Transport Accident Attorney
Many people make the mistake of thinking that they can properly handle a transport accident claim on their own. This is a mindset that insurance companies bet on — they can afford to take their time in paying out your claim without their own lawyers on the clock.
At McEldrew Young Purtell, we have over 30 years of experience in litigating all forms of transportation and vehicle accident cases. These cases are sometimes complex, with legal obstacles like sovereign immunity on some modes of public transportation limiting the amount of compensation accident victims can claim. We take all accident injury cases on a contingency basis, and will only charge you attorney fees if we are able to obtain financial compensation for your losses.
Millions travel through the country safely every day. However, if you are among the unlucky ones whose lives are derailed by an accident, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries. If you or your family have suffered an injury while traveling in your own transportation or as a passenger, fill out our form or call us directly at 1-800-590-4116.
